George Rebane
Returned from a week at Hat Creek, CA with RV couples – we proudly call ourselves ‘Road Warriors’ – where the weather alternated between idyllic and intense thunderstorms not uncommon during this time of year. A lightning strike on the RV park’s wifi antenna had us all experience yesteryear. And we were again reminded of a part of California that is very unlike the part populated by gimmes who see the state as open territory for any and all who believe that the age of America’s exceptionalism is deservedly ending. (Photo of entrance to Burney cemetary.)
In ‘The Tales of Parson Comey’ WSJ’s Bill McGurn recounts the lies and prevarications of the former FBI director that have now come to light as he rides the media circuit promoting his recent auto-hagiography. The man has also revealed his ability “to see into other men’s souls”, and while demonstrating that “he knows his congregation”, as “he feeds it from Mt Self-Righteous, with a mix of Democratic talking points, proclamations about the wickedness of anyone with a different point of view, and the occasional lofty quotation from Reinhold Niebuhr.”
New York’s striking union members just got a leg up from the state’s anti-capitalist government. After Gov Andrew Cuomo signs the new bill from the state’s legislature, strikers will get full unemployment benefits just one week after walking off the job. This should put the state’s already strong and rapacious unions on par with management when threatening job actions. Heads up readers know that New York is one in a covey of proto-socialist states which spew wealth creators and middle-class workers to friendlier and ‘greener’ climes. Other members of this clatch include New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois, and, of course, our California.
Alexander Rossi, is in 2nd place (at lap 113/200) in today’s Indy 500 as this is posted. The Nevada County native won the race in 2016, and placed well in the succeeding years. As most racing fans know, the 500 is actually a two-phased race with the first part putting great emphasis on pole position and closed-field running; the second phase becomes more tactical in the planning and coordination of pit stops between the driver and pit crew. [Update] Well shucks, our own Alex Rossi came in 2nd after a most thrilling finish to the 500-mile classic. Head to head Rossi and Pagenaud traded places for the lead during the last ten laps with the Frenchman in the lead by 0.2 second when the 200th lap was completed. Great driving by a real field of pros with no casualties save some pretty smashed up race cars. Congratulations to all.
Union publisher Don Rogers’ in ‘A crisis in journalism’ does his best to hearken us back to an age when “the journalist’s core role for society (was) to intelligently question convention, find any rotten wood in the good ship, (and) bring truth to light.” And today the field is filled with political professionals, partisans, and pundits who work on “the other side of a line dividing the passionate from something cooler, more practical, with the ability to sift for empirical evidence out of all the chaff, and to recognize opinions for what they are”. In my readings of history and my many years on this planet, I have yet to witness journalism in the mainstream of its practice as not just another form of paid promotion and partisanship for established points of view and agendas. In short, Mr Rogers is wistfully wishing for a time that never was, as today the profession has abandoned even the remaining vestiges of its ‘standards’, long used as the profession’s camouflage of claimed prudence and propriety.
[27may19 update] The opioid ‘crisis’ included over 25,000 overdose deaths in 2016 from the prescribed drug. Opioid overdose deaths have been known since before 1999 when the overdose death rate began to soar from consuming the legally prescribed pain killer. Now local governments and healthcare organizations are suing the pharmas that legally manufacture and legally sell the drug, to physicians who legally prescribe it. I’m puzzled as to why such suits have standing. The state could have outlawed opioids decades ago if it felt that the drug could not be safely consumed by the public. One could also ask why the car companies are not being sued for the 30K+ annual deaths from car accidents. Did they not also legally manufacture a deadly machine, sold legally to the public who then also suffered from its unintended uses?
Economist Dr James P Smith exhibits his knowledge of history in the 27may19 Union (here),claiming that the rift between Congress and the Executive began with the Russian-influenced election of President Trump. Before that, everything in Washington was going along swimmingly; now the country must “take heed”.
[28may19 update] Another neighbor abandons California. We were surprised last week to learn that one of our recently acquired neighbors, a couple who bought acreage and spent almost five years building their estate, fighting their way through all our regulatory complexities to thwart development, have now had enough. They are headed for a new start in New Mexico – Godspeed.
“Wage Gap Commissars” are proposed by Sen Kamala Harris, based on demonstrably false data that she uses to describe the difference between aggregate pay rates of men and women. Her proposed legislation for America would require all businesses with more than 100 employees to demonstrate to a new bureaucracy that their pay scale is gender neutral. Such companies number more than 100,000 and employ over 80 million workers. Her new facet of socialism would insert government as the final arbiter of what employers can and should pay their employees. This is an evil piece of legislation to join the many others that this Democrat and her cohorts running for president have proposed to hobble America should any of them succeed to office. (more here, here, and here)
Yes, yes it was -
“I think what is really crucially important to remember here is that you had Strzok and Page who were in charge of launching this investigation and they were saying things like, 'We must stop this president, we need an insurance policy against this president,'” she said on ABC News' “This Week.”
"In my view when you have people that are in the highest echelons of the law enforcement of this nation saying things like that, that sounds an awful lot like a coup -- and it could well be treason and I think we need to know more,” she said.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/liz-cheney-strzok-page-texts-sound-like-a-coup-could-be-treason
;-)
Posted by: Don Bessee | 26 May 2019 at 11:32 AM
Now you’ve done it! You’ve reported on a local Nevada County event/individual/topic!
Expect a sternly worded post from the Smarminator!
Posted by: fish | 26 May 2019 at 11:47 AM
Well that's one NY socialist you wont see yammering at the clown car debates -
An average of recent national opinion polls for the 2020 Democratic nomination compiled by RealClearPolitics shows Biden at 34.7% leading Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders at 17.7%. De Blasio, who announced is bid this month, is at 0.5%.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/york-apos-blasio-brushes-off-181415347.html
;-)
Posted by: Don Bessee | 26 May 2019 at 07:40 PM
A crisis in journalism.
Hey, he lied and is darn proud of it.
https://dailycaller.com/2019/05/26/ian-bremmer-fake-trump-quote/?fbclid=IwAR3me3bBQMGss8SN9njD6r4KUljW2-psDxh_VBnJwGBjDjQaFuFw05tA_z0
Posted by: Bill Tozer | 27 May 2019 at 07:06 AM
Re: James P. Smith’s deep thinking letter to the Union.
“This refusal as well as other behavior signifies the actions of an autocrat.”
Well, that sounds like the good Mr. Smith was watching MSNBC and then penned his letter. The morning after Trump announced that Barr was going to declassify documents relating to how the Russian Collusion Coupe started, Morning Joe said, “This is what an autocrat does!”
https://news.grabien.com/story-scarborough-trump-giving-barr-power-declassify-intel-what-au
A couple of hours later that day Rob Reiner tweeted, “This is what autocrats do”, lol. Birds of a feather.
Buzz word of last week: Autocrat.
Posted by: Bill Tozer | 28 May 2019 at 09:59 PM